Page 72 of Ravenous

“I’d love to come along.” He’d heard tons of legendary stories about Uncle Joe and wanted to meet the man who’d selflessly raised Finn into the chivalrous charmer he’d become. “But will you have to change?” He gestured at Finn’s outfit.

“Why would I change? You worked super hard and I want to show it off. He’ll love itandhe’ll be thrilled to meet you.” Finn stood, bringing Ollie up from the bed as well. “This isn’t likemeeting the parents.” Finn made quotation marks with his fingers. “Uncle Joe is already stoned off his ass if his text is anything to go by. We’re just driving up there to make sure he’s taking his medicine and feeling okay.”

“What’s wrong with him?” While Ollie had cleaned during the makeover, there were a few things left out, and the two of them tidied up with perfect teamwork.

“The usual. He drinks too much even though he takes meds for his heart and his high blood pressure. He can also outsmoke people a third his age but he’s not twenty-five, he’s in his seventies, so I have to check on him twice a week.” They moved into the living room and Finn gathered his wallet and keys while Ollie packed a light bag with essential makeup and a phone charger. “I thought about hiring someone to check on him but I know he wouldn’t like it.”

“You can’t get him to move down here?” Ollie squatted down to sort through his overnight case, putting back the shaver he’d brought with him. As he rose, a sharp pain lanced through his foot and he sat back on the floor, shaking it out.

“I’ve tried so many times. I think he’ll throw his bass at me if I ask again.” Finn patted his pockets, turning back toward Ollie. “Are you okay?” His brows pinched in worry as he stared at Ollie’s foot.

“Yeah, I think so.” Gently, he rose. The ball throbbed a little, in a faint echo of the earlier pain, but it was nothing like the stab he’d gotten. “It’s fine.” He shook it out again for good measure.

“Are you sure?” Finn approached, checking Ollie over as he nodded. “I know we’re about to leave but I’d like to make us some sandwiches for the road. Or we could stop and pick something up. Are you comfortable eating here? Or in the car?”

The consideration made Ollie want to bury his head in Finn’s sweater and cry. Because he wished he didn’t have this problem. No, not a problem, a disorder. One that he had to start taking responsibility for.

“Let’s see what you have in the fridge.”

“It’s beautiful here!” The drive took them north out of town, up winding roads into a mountain range that had already begun to show off for the season, with trees and bushes in chartreuse bloom. Ollie had spent the last forty-five minutes watching the scenery go by while slowly eating the toast he’d made, thrilled and terrified of the butterandstrawberry jam on them. However, he powered through, managing to finish almost all of it.

“Agreed. It’s wonderful in the fall too. I’ll bring you back up here so you can see how colorful it is.” Finn gave him a quick smile, staying focused on the curvy road ahead.

“I’d like that.” Ollie returned to studying the sprouting greenery around them, his mind latching onto several things at once - Finn acting like it was natural that they’d be together in the fall, the upcoming meeting with Uncle Joe, and the fact that he was now afraid of food. He didn’t know which to tackle first so he checked his phone instead, relieved that his parents still hadn’t called but disappointed that none of the therapists had gotten back to him. Switching to the editing app as the signal got spotty, he started cutting and arranging Finn’s video, choosing a swirly shoegaze song from his list of bangers.

“I don’t know how you can work on that thing without getting a headache.” Slowing down, Finn took a hairpin turn and a pond appeared next to them, with swans drifting in the distance.

“It’s innate in my generation.” Ollie adjusted the audio track to start with the chorus.

“Is that what you’re using for my makeover?” Finn asked, taking another wild turn that had them both leaning in their seats.

“Mmhmm…” Ollie nodded. “Do you want me to change it?”

“I thought you were going to use progressive rock.”

“I don’t even know what that means.” Ollie waved his phone. “Is that old man music?”

“Old man mus-what?”Shaking his head, Finn pressed a few buttons on the steering wheel and the center dashboard lit up with his satellite radio selection. A guitar solo filled the car, keyboards alongside them and a high-pitched man’s voice started singing about being in the limelight. “I’m going to have to educate you, child.”

A peal of laughter burst from Ollie’s lips. “Okay, Daddy,” he drawled, silly and childlike.

Jolting, Finn quickly looked at Ollie before taking a turn that popped up out of nowhere, and the road went from paved tonot.

“Did I say something wrong?” Ollie held on tightly to the handle above the window, trying to reduce the jostling as they drove over well-packed dirt.

“No.” Finn shook his head with a self-deprecating grin. “It’s the way you said it. It sounded familiar and I can’t place exactly how.”

Familiar? Ollie’s eyebrows practically flew off his head but the car lurched again as Finn pulled into a driveway that suddenly appeared out of the brush, and he became distracted by the cabin in front of him. Ollie had expected something quaint and cute, like a vacation cottage, but this was something out of a magazine. While it did have the alternating log build, it was huge, with an on-brand porch wrapping around the front and side. A shed-sized version of the cabin sat to its left, next to a fenced-in vegetable garden, and a wood pile took up most of the right, yellow bushes marking the rest of the perimeter, which sank into the surrounding woods.

It was like they’d driven through a portal into a secret forest; everything around them buzzed, hovering right on the cusp of spring. Stepping out of the car, Ollie took a deep breath, letting the warm wind caress his face.

“You grew up here?” No wonder Finn radiated calm. The air held birdsong and the hum of insects but was otherwise quiet, serene like a meditation retreat except for the pirate flag next to the front door.

“I did,” Finn nodded, picking a small yellow flower from a nearby bush and putting it in Ollie’s hair. The gesture was so natural and sweet that Ollie practically melted on the spot, sure that he was making the dumbest face but not caring one whit about it.

Pulling out his phone, he sidled up to Finn, who wrapped arms around him from behind, putting his chin on Ollie’s shoulder. Holding his arm out just right, Ollie snapped a few different photos, one of them smiling, one of him kissing Finn on the cheek, and one of them with duck faces. The first one was disgustingly perfect so he immediately sent it to Finn, who saved it as his lock screen.

“You seem to be smitten with me, Mr. Cooper,” Ollie stated with a Southern drawl, fluttering an imaginary fan.

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